Hair care appliances which generate an airflow, for example hair dryers or hot styling brushes, need motors to generate the airflow through them. A number of considerations must be taken with respect to the overall appliance. For instance, the size and weight of the appliance must be kept down in order that a user is able to handle the appliance easily, and that the appliance does not cause discomfort to the user during use.
In hair care appliances it is often the motor that contributes the most towards the size and weight of the overall appliance, and therefore it is important to minimise the size and weight of the motor as much as possible. However, reducing the size of the motor has its own limitations. For example, reducing the size of the motor may reduce the maximum flow rate that it can achieve, and therefore that the appliance can generate. Furthermore, in general the smaller a motor is the more susceptible it becomes to the ingress of foreign objects such as dust and hair into the motor.
In hair care appliances, ingress of loose hair can be particularly problematic. If strands of hair become wrapped around or entangled with moving parts of the motor, this can have a detrimental effect on the performance of the motor and therefore the entire hair care appliance. In extreme circumstances, the ingress of foreign objects such as hair into the motor could lead to faults occurring or even failure of the motor entirely.